


Worlds to Divide

by Arrogant_Vice



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-11
Updated: 2013-01-15
Packaged: 2019-08-07 19:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16414877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arrogant_Vice/pseuds/Arrogant_Vice
Summary: Months later after the world is saved, Desmond lives, but in a state of perpetual 'bleeding' from the animus. Left with the mission to clean up the rest of the Templar strong holds, Desmond reluctantly moves forward with exploring the deeper threads of his DNA. However, his condition starts to steadily worsen and Desmond soon finds he needs help more than he can give. HEAVY SPOILERS





	Worlds to Divide

Desmond had been through a fair share of strange happenings in his life. Being kidnapped and forced to relive the lives of your ancestors was probably the big one though. About everything that eventually came back to haunt him all stemmed from his assassin heritage.

And yet going all the way through adulthood as a playboy master assassin living in Italy, living the life of his oldest Syrian Ancestor during the crusades, and witnessing three generations of the Kenway line live in the new world had been the greatest moments of his own boring life despite the costs.

He had grown to admire and appreciate his ancestors. Their sacrifice and will to live on despite their challenges made them super human in Desmond'd mind. And there he was, the sad and scared bartender who couldn't even tough it out as a novice until he got kidnapped.

He loved his ancestors so much; it was one-sided kinship that kept as a reminder to his creed. He could only feel shame for not living up to their standards or actions. Just hours ago Desmond had been taken to a secret location away from the city. About a one week ago the world's untimely doom had been narrowly avoided….for now.

How did this happen? Well….

After learning that Juno had only used his family line to lead him to her prison in order to free her so that she may rule over humanity, the whole purpose of Desmond's quest had been shattered. Juno had miscalculated. Counting on an assassin to do her deed was her folly. Her very wish to rule over humanity went against the creed.

However, Desmond couldn't really say no to save humanity...even if it meant betraying his order...until a miracle happened.

Jupiter, bless him, had come with Minerva in a last ditch effort to convince him not to release Juno. Desmond had denied them, much to his unhappiness, until he was made an offer.

Jupiter had sworn to give the Earth a hidden technology that would shield the Earth from the solar flare, but it would break after being used. It was up to humans to recreate another means of survival for the next.

As outrageous and infuriating as the events had been, it was the reason Desmond and the group were still alive.

For now his only job was guarding the artifacts nobody knew he had and staying away from any possible Templar contact. That and trying to steer clear of the animus

Desmond had been going through a rehab like process from the side effects of the animus. Although the bleeding effect had sharpened his skills to the maximum with four lifetimes worth of skill, his hallucinations and blackouts had increased.

His most recent hallucination...was right now.

First thing Desmond had come to learn when he was unwillingly sucked into a dormant memory was which ancestor he was living as. Conner was always a dead giveaway with his larger body, tanner skin, and heavier clothes. It was Ezio and Altair that usually took a while to distinguish unless they were near a city or speaking.

Right now Desmond was in the guessing stage with Ezio as the most likely choice…..for like the eighth time in a row this week. Why? Well for some reason Ezio's memories had been the more popular ones this week with visions of naked Florentine women every night from Ezio's pre-assassin days.

"My love, why do you associate yourself with that harlot Veneza? I saw you speaking to her yesterday!" some random lady accused.

"What are you talking about? My heart belongs only to the most beautiful lady in Firenze!" Desmond's voice lied back through a rich Italian accent.

Desmond sat through the whole synchronization in awkwardness, refusing to allow the memories feelings to attach to his own. As much as he hated sitting through one of Ezio's dramatic plays, he was wildly happy he wasn't Altair at the moment. Last time that happened, Desmond had gone through the outrageously uncomfortable experience of watching his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Sef be conceived...and then got a point of view from inside Marias womb. Very…uncomfortable.

His attention in the memory was broken from a shrilling voice.

"DESMOND! DESMOND! SNAP OUT OF IT!" shouted a woman's voice. Desmond's mind was shoved back into his reality. Desmond jolted upright from the couch he was laying on. Rebecca stood half shaken as he stared at her in confusion.

"Rebecca!? What? It's just a hallucination. I even blocked any feeling Ezio was having. It wasn't that strong I swear I-"

"DESMOND! Shut up!" The mechanic ordered. "It wasn't that. I could see you were already coming out of it but-but you...you were talking in your sleep. You were mimicking what Ezio was saying perfectly in his accent."

"Wha-What?!" Desmond stuttered. "Has that happened in other bleeding effects? Shaun told me that the doctor said I was getting better."

Rebecca looked uncomfortable and unsure how to answer. "You have I swear, but...do you feel like you're getting better. I mean it's great that you're not sharing a complete synchronization with your ancestors, but I'm worried that the more you try to separate yourself for them...maybe their memories might become separate personalities to your own. You know the only two people who got rid of the bleeding effect got rid of it only after years of staying out of the animus.

He hated it when Rebecca or any of the others would tell him something like that out of nowhere.

"I'm sure I'm getting better. I have to be. I've stopped having memory scenes with Conner all together. I haven't had Altair since I was in coma state in the Animus. It's only Ezio and his little...antics from his teenage years."

Rebecca nodded but still didn't seem appeased. "Well you have synchronized with Ezio the longest out of all the three. Conner may have been the most recent but we were all careful to keep you in there for only a short amount of time."

"Do you think that I'll ever be able to use the Animus ever again?" Desmond asked just out of the blue. It was something he had been wondering for a while now.

"No. It's taken too much out of you. You've gotten all the skill you could possibly want from it anyway," said a new voice.

Desmond flicked his eyes to the man behind Rebecca and frowned. It was his father. The elder Miles didn't even stay to acknowledge any questions on his statement as he simply came to grab a file and left.

"Awkward...," Rebecca muttered as her attention was suddenly snapped to her watch. "Shit. I've got to get going. Do yourself a favor Desmond and try to do something that doesn't relate to any sort of assassin activity."

Desmond sat on the couch blankly as he watched her go and leave him alone again. Was that even possible at this point?

"My love! NO!" Ezio cried out in anguish. The Italian knelt with aching grief next to Christina and cupped her cold face in his hand. "Requiescat in pace," He whispered as he held the girl who had once held his heart. Gone. Christina was gone.

Ezio, being a long time assassin, held a certain degree of self-control for any deaths within the brotherhood...but for now he would make an acceptation. A single tear ran down the assassin's cheek as he carried the body of his once beloved and placed her in a bed of nearby flowers, hopefully for her family or neighbors to find. Taking one last look at the woman of his heart, he took off back to the headquarters, never looking back to the love that had been lost.

Desmond opened his eyes silently realizing first that a river of tears was flowing down his face and he was breathing harshly as is his side had just been stabbed. "Ow...ow god, it's never hurt this bad before," he whimpered as he tried desperately to stop crying.

The feeling of grief...sadness...pure anguish and suffering clouded his mind. Why though? When Altair killed Maria and when Ezio lost his family, Desmond had only gotten a brief feeling of their sadness, but this was so much more intense.

Memories of Lucy and her death….the pain was roughly on the same scale, the scale that kept Desmond awake for hours each night.

"Somebody!" Desmond yelled as he stumbled out of his bed. A minute later, a doctor rushed in to help Desmond up. The rest of the night he spent in a medical room after taking a special sleeping pill.

"How did this happen? Why haven't any of the other subjects experienced this? Is it even possible?"

"...Not sure why, but I'm sure this is the case. Come to think of it, I'm almost not surprised this is a symptom. At least we know what might be going on." Said the doctor's voice.

Desmond cracked a sore eye open and shifted his equally sore body to face the direction of the conversation.

Desmond processed the sight before him in a daze before coming to a full realization. Talking right next to his bed were both Altair and Ezio standing very close to each other in an arguing sense while they voiced the thoughts of two voices that were definitely not theirs.

"Perhaps we should rethink the idea of the rehab plan and try a different approach. Some things obviously not right with him," said Ezio in an extremely female voice.

Desmond blinked dumbfounded and tumbled out of his bed, adding to his record of falling over.

"Oh my goodness! Desmond, are you alright?!" the shrill female voice shrieked as he felt a pair of slender arms haul him up. Desmond looked up to a relief when he saw the face of a familiar female nurse.

"Camilla...thank god," he breathed. The nurse blinked confused and turned to look at the doctor. Desmond realized that the image of Altair he had seen was actually the kind chubby face of his doctor.

"D-Doc these hallucinations have definitely gotten stronger," Desmond confessed.

"Your mind, maybe the Animus itself...somehow your subconscious wants to connect with your ancestors again. I don't have a single idea why, but your inner mind really wants to see your ancestors again. It's not personal or anything, but I have a theory that it has grown accustom to them as it has to you. Almost like a person that's grown use to driving the three different cars, but then only being left one. Something is pulling you back to seeing them."

Desmond sat blank faced in a medical surgery room while a group of doctors discussed to him what was going on.

"In the simplest complex, your mind is trying to create of reinvent an Ezio, an Altair, and eventually a Conner perhaps...We just have no sureness why."

Desmond nodded and put his head in his hands. "...Can I please be left alone?"

The group filed out diligently, leaving the 'once savior of the world' to his predicament.

"Pulling me back..." he mumbled quietly. It was the most non-sensual thing he had ever heard. He firmly refused to believe his mind was addicted to living as his ancestors.

'I can't live the rest of my life going in and out of their world. I can barely even take the pain they felt and shut it away like a real assassin can,' he thought.

…

…

"You don't have to shut away your pain. I can see it in your heart that you want to see them," came a voice.

Desmond nearly hit the ceiling in surprise as he jumped from the presence of the speaker.

Minerva.

"W-W-What the hell?! Why are you here?" Desmond immediately demanded as soon as the god-like creature made herself known. He scrambled off his bed and back a couple feet from the lady.

"...Do not fear Desmond Miles. You and I are on the ground of peace with each other. Perhaps it was your vigor to save humanity that you almost lead you to choose Juno, but with humanity safe for now you and I are not enemies."

Desmond made no move to relax; he watched carefully as the glowing image of the goddess levitated only a few feet away.

"Why are you here then? You came for a reason. You and you people always come to my blood for a reason," he said in a quite yet audible voice.

Just like the other encounters, Minerva gave little facial emotions, but Desmond caught just the absolute minimal flash of guilt that grazed her expression.

"For the reasons you have just brought into focus, I have come to apologize for the actions of myself and Juno upon your family. Saving humanity will never make me truly regret my actions, but do not think I have not felt guilt from the quest we forced upon you heritage. You must understand that your family is significant because of its standpoint in the world. You do realize that if I or Juno had chosen another family...a Templar especially, that they would have given Juno power without a second thought. You almost did yourself, even though your 'Creed' believes otherwise."

The words stung the mouth of Desmond like a scorpion. How dare she?

…..He had almost gone against the creed though. For hundreds of years his family fought for the ability of humanity to live under their own fair rule and yet he had almost given it all up to a power hungry Juno.

The shame that had surged through him the past couple months began to grow again inside.

"What do you want?" he growled low and quietly. Minerva no doubt knew she had stuck a weak point on Desmond but she made no attempt to console him.

"You realize that as a being of the first civilization I have superior living extent and skill among all other humans. I am here to inform you that my survival ability...is near its end."

Desmond raised his ashen face to the goddess. "You're dying?" he asked.

Minerva nodded, still no emotion on her face.

"You must understand that in the first civilization dying with a sin is unclean and dishonorable for our beliefs. I've decided to grant the rest of my power upon you to finish the war with the Templar and give to your family to make up for what was taken away. My people created yours as a work force, yet now that I am but an alien to a world that will never be mine again, it's my will to leave your race behind with peace," the god-like figure concluded.

"What about Jupiter or Juno? There are more of you right?" Desmond demanded not even sure he had just heard right.

"Juno will never be freed. At least that is what I've sworn to myself, but as long as her prison is watched and unopened she will eventually wither. Jupiter has already passed. The technology he gave you was his payment. I will leave you behind with my words and explanation. Humanity will have evolved more by the next flare and they will hopefully have the ability to stop it. If not...then it is humanity's own fault for not being productive after being given a chance. But that it highly unlikely the first solar flare went unheeded. Humans tend to solve major issues after seeing the consequence. As for you, you have been visited by visions correct?" the goddess questioned.

Desmond paused and nodded his head. "Can you cure me? Are you going to tell me what they mean or something? You know how to stop them right?!" Desmond pressed.

Minerva stood silently, no facial expression in the slightest, which bothered Desmond hugely.

"You ask me all the wrong favors and questions. Your visions and effects are all part of my repayment to you. Your ancestors spent their whole lives to lead you to Juno. They suffered loss to your enemies and carried on, but all alone for the longest time. Although it was not my intention, your line of ancestors is a uniquely lonely one. Very few of you had content and close relationship you did not see destroyed. Allowing you and them to find solace in each other is the greatest way to heal the scars life has wrought on you."

Minerva stood in front of Desmond silently waiting for a response. Desmond had stopped moving all together. 'What?' he thought.

"I intend to reunite you with them. Not through death….but through new life. It will require me to send you back through time.

After a couple minutes to gain his composure, Desmond found his words.

"I-Impossible. You would never. T-this is my time, my home! My family-er well not them, but my people! The Assassins!" Desmond demanded as he finally gained his senses back and started to inch his away father away from the serious faced goddess.

"You will not escape this Desmond Miles. You may feel loyalty to it, but if you stay here, despair will consume the rest of your days. Your time has nothing for you. You're hunted fervently day and night by Templars who are on the verge of finding you. You alone hold the map to finding Juno again. Putting you with your forefathers will assure the safety of the people. As for the Assassins, they will prosper again. I have no doubt." Minerva concluded her decision to him.

"No...J-just no. My friends...my family-my parents! I can't leave them," Desmond pleaded. 'This can't be happening! It's just another illusion," he desperately pleaded to himself.

"This is not a false happening, Desmond Miles. You have a limited amount of time before my promise to you is fulfilled and put into action. Use this time then for yourself to say your goodbyes," Minerva ordered. Before Desmond could start to yell and panic, the image of the lady turned gray and flickered out of view.

"DESMOND?! Desmond, are you ok in there?!" Rebecca's yelled.

No. He was not ok. Desmond keeled on the ground staring up into space trying to process the meeting he had just had. He could barely comprehend what was happening.

"Rebecca," he answered in a weak voice. "I...need...you guys. Please."

The door opened but Desmond could not make out any of the people he was seeing.

"HOLY CRAP! Someone get in here now! He's-he's fading away!-SOMEBODY GET IN HERE!" shrieked Rebecca's voice.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!" Shaun's voice shouted as Desmond felt a slight sensation graze his arm before all feeling exited his body.

Without hearing another word, Desmond lost all feeling.

"Desmond wake up," William Miles ordered sternly. Desmond hadn't realized he was conscious until he heard the voice of his father.

"Dad?" he questioned for assurance.

"Yes, son you're back in the animus. I have some bad news for you," the elder Miles said.

Desmond squeezed his eyes shut as a small feeling of pain circled his stomach. "...what happened?"

The sound of a frustrated sigh came from above. Desmond opened his eyes and found himself lying on the white computer floor of the animus as he stared off into the white infinity it had.

"Son, I think the more you tried to separate from the animus, the more you subconsciously acquired a great gravity to it that now its pulling you in more at a greater force. In other words...you're being sucked into it,' his father breathed.

This nightmare would just not end

"...Minerva told me that I was going to be taken away from this time so Juno couldn't be set free ever again," Desmond said sadly.

Williams breathe hitched, "You know all about it then. I guess that irresponsible nature of yours will never die…..Is this goodbye?"

Desmond smiled as he stared at the white sky in the animus. "I don't have a lot of time and I probably won't see you ever again...I just want you to know that...I forgive you and I loved you and mom both," Desmond said.

'…We both loved you more than you could imagine," said William.

Desmond could feel a tight sensation in his throat.

'I've always loved my family and friends but really the only person I think I'll truly miss is...Lucy.' he thought.

A brief image of the deceased blonds face appeared in Desmonds mind before he forced it away.

"I'm going to miss you the most Lucy. I know you may have been a traitor...but you made me really happy for a time," he whispered to himself.

Desmond was half humored to tell his father just who he was going to go see but he decided that as a farewell present he would just say this. "I will be safe. Tell the others I'll miss them Goodbye."

"Goodbye" he heard as he lost feeling in his body inside the animus.

For what seemed like hours Desmond stood in a loading field staring off into space a thin white line slid past him and little bubble swirled in the distance before fizzling off in the background. It was like he was stuck in a limbo between his world and the animus.

"Minerva, are you there?" Desmond asked aloud finally.

"…...Barely," said the goddesses faint voice. "My time is almost here. Now that your being is synced completely the process may begin."

Desmond huffed lightly.

"You know I'm not really being reunited with anyone since this is an animus memory," he said.

"...not quite….you've solely mistaken my methods. I plan to send you back in time but to a different dimension scape, where time will not be affected. The place you are in now is simply a middle point between each time frame you will visit. One body will die in your world, and you will had an exact copy in the other," Minerva explained.

Desmond twitched. He was really confused.

"That's not even possible though. Won't the people in the new world also be fakes if they are just copies?"

A low and dying laugh sounded in the animus.

"…..heh…heh….Silly man. You humans can only think so far…..a soul…needs a body to live…but not to be preserved….just memories….just your heart."

"I don't understand." Desmond said. It made no sense. Souls? Memories? It was against the basic logic of human kind. To rely on spiritual ideas for explanation.

"It is impossible for one of my nature to truly explain to your people. Divine energy in its purest form can be saved even though it all eventually returns tone figure," Minerva concluded.

Desmond just shook his head in frustration as the goddess fizzed away leaving him in the white infinity again.

Desmond was all too sure another hour had passed by the time another thing changed. He had been sitting in the white zone for a while contemplating seeing his ancestors in real life and the fact he was never going back home. It was...a lot to take it. It had all happened so fast.

He felt like he was going home in a way. So much of his life he had spent in a boring monotone spree of running from an unreal enemy or being a minimum wage bar tender.

He had spent only two weeks of time in the animus as all three of his ancestors yet he had lived each of their lives and felt their beings for every moment.

The loading subsided.

Desmond's head perked up as a great white light pierced the animus-like and everything began to re-shape. All of a sudden Desmond was met with a turquoise colored portal.

"Goodbye Lucy," he whispered. All other thoughts aside, Desmond took one last look at the sky above him and touched the portal.


End file.
